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CORDOVA, Alaska - Members of Girl Scout Troop 285 participated in
a mock disaster drill at The Red Dragon in conjunction with Alaska
Shield 14 here on March 28, 2014.
The drill was done in
support of civil disaster emergency response training and included
members of the Cordova Volunteer Fire Department and soldiers from
the 1-297th Reconnaissance and Surveillance Squadron of the Alaska
National Guard.
Girl scouts, 11 and 12 years old, staged the building to appear
like the roof had caved in to coincide with the citywide mock
tsunami drill. They covered the floor with debris and donned makeup
to give the appearance of serious injuries.
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Members of the Cordova Volunteer Fire Department and Alaska National
Guard soldiers from A-troop, 1-297th Reconnaissance and Surveillance
Squadron extricate girl scouts with Troop 285 from a roof collapse
at The Red Dragon as part of a mock disaster drill in conjunction
with Alaska Shield 14 here March 28, 2014. Alaska Shield 14 is an
exercise that involves state, federal, military and local agencies,
designed to test the response and coordination of the disaster
modeled after the 1964 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that
devastated much of South Central Alaska including the city of
Cordova. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Shane Dorschner)
An EMT with the Cordova Volunteer Fire Department provides care
to members of Girl Scout Troop 285 after they were pulled from the
debris of a simulated roof collapse at The Red Dragon as part of a
mock disaster drill in conjunction with Alaska Shield 14 here, March
28, 2014. Alaska Shield 14 is an exercise that involves state,
federal, military and local agencies, designed to test the response
and coordination of the disaster modeled after the 1964 earthquake
and subsequent tsunami that devastated much of South Central Alaska
including the city of Cordova. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Shane
Dorschner)
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Within minutes of the initial call, fire trucks and
ambulances responded with EMT's, first responders and
firemen. Shortly after that, soldiers from the Alaska
National Guard A-troop, 1-297th Reconnaissance and
Surveillance Squadron arrived to assist.
Both firemen
and soldiers entered the litter strewn structure to rescue
the Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts had been coached how to act
like trauma victims by screaming and moaning to make the
scenario more realistic.
“The
girls really loved getting all moulaged up,” said Joanie
Behrends, Cordova emergency management planner. Moulage is
the art of applying mock injuries for the purpose of
training emergency response teams and other medical and
military personnel.
The soldiers and firemen escorted
ambulatory victims out of the building. The non-ambulatory
victims were carried out on stretchers. EMT's and first
responders then assessed the injuries and applied first aid
prior to placing them on an ambulance if the injuries
warranted further treatment.
“We've been doing this
for years,” said Behrends. “Many of the girls that did this
in the past grew up to be firefighters.”
They do this
through a program called “Explorers,” which allows high
school students in Cordova to work with the Cordova
Volunteer Fire Department in a service support role. Duties
for the Explorers include changing air packs and providing
water to firefighters.
This and other preparedness
drills were performed in Cordova in conjunction with other
federal, state and local exercises throughout Alaska in
support of Alaska Shield 14.
Alaska Shield 14 is an
exercise that involves state, federal, military and local
agencies, designed to test the response and coordination of
the disaster modeled after the 1964 earthquake and
subsequent tsunami that devastated much of South Central
Alaska including the city of Cordova.
By U.S. Army Sgt. Shane Dorschner
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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